Bing Crosby

Actor · 1903–1977 · Tacoma, Washington, USA

IMDb

Highest rated as cast or director

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

1949

Biography

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian and actor. The first multimedia star, Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1931 to 1954. His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed him, including Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Dean Martin. Yank magazine said that he was "the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen" during World War II. In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII. Also in 1948, Music Digest estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music. Crosby won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Father Chuck O'Malley in the 1944 motion picture Going My Way and was nominated for his reprise of the role in The Bells of St. Mary's opposite Ingrid Bergman the next year, becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character. In 1963, Crosby received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award. He is one of 33 people to have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the categories of motion pictures, radio, and audio recording. He was also known for his collaborations with longtime friend Bob Hope, starring in the Road to... films from 1940 to 1962. Crosby influenced the development of the postwar recording industry. After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to America by John T. Mullin, he invested $50,000 in a California electronics company called Ampex to build copies. He then convinced ABC to allow him to tape his shows. He became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. Through the medium of recording, he constructed his radio programs with the same directorial tools and craftsmanship (editing, retaking, rehearsal, time shifting) used in motion picture production, a practice that became an industry standard. In addition to his work with early audio tape recording, he helped to finance the development of videotape, bought television stations, bred racehorses, and co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.

Acted in 107

2020s

2025
Twiggy
(archival footage)

2010s

2018
Howard
Jeff Peters (archive footage)
78

2000s

2000
'White Christmas': A Look Back with Rosemary Clooney
Bob Wallace (archive footage) (uncredited)

1990s

1998
Classic Commercials: Volume 3
Movie
1997
Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas
Bob Wallace (archive footage)
1994
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Shanks for the Memory
Movie

1980s

1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
1982
Disney's Halloween Treat
(archive footage)

1970s

1979
The Hollywood Clowns
(archive footage)
1978
The South Bank Show
TV · 45 Seasons · Documentary · Talk
1976
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
1973
Bing Crosby's Sun Valley Christmas Show
Movie
1971
Dr. Cook's Garden
Leonard Cook
1970
Swing Out, Sweet Land
Mark Twain

1960s

1967
The Danny Thomas Hour
Charlie Castle · 1 episode
1966
Stagecoach
Doc Josiah Boone
61
1964
The Bing Crosby Show
Bing Collins · 28 episodes
Robin and the 7 Hoods
Allen A. Dale
57
1963
The Sound of Laughter
Bob (Singer in Grocery Store)
1962
The Road to Hong Kong
Harry Turner
1961
Big Night Out: The Peggy Lee Show
Movie
1960
Pepe
Bing Crosby
High Time
Harvey Howard
Let's Make Love
Bing Crosby (uncredited)
63
Lifetime of Comedy
(archive footage)

1950s

1959
Say One for Me
Father Conroy
Alias Jesse James
Bing (uncredited)
63
1957
Man on Fire
Earl Carleton
1956
High Society
C. K. Dexter-Haven
72
Anything Goes
Bill Benson
High Tor
Van Van Dorn
Showdown at Ulcer Gulch
Influential Man
1955
The Phil Silvers Show
Bing Crosby · 1 episode
80
1954
The Country Girl
Frank Elgin
73
White Christmas
Bob Wallace
71
1953
Little Boy Lost
Bill Wainright
Scared Stiff
Skeleton (uncredited)
1952
Off Limits
Bing Crosby (archive footage) (uncredited)
Road to Bali
George Cochran
66
Just for You
Jordan Blake
Son of Paleface
Driver (uncredited)
73
The Greatest Show on Earth
Spectator (uncredited)
64
1951
Angels in the Outfield
Bing Crosby (uncredited)
74
Here Comes the Groom
Peter 'Pete' Garvey
America Applauds: An Evening for Richard Rodgers
Movie
1950
Mr. Music
Paul Merrick
The Jack Benny Program
Bing Crosby · 1 episode
83
Riding High
Dan Brooks

1940s

1949
Top o' the Morning
Joe Mulqueen
Down Memory Lane
Bing Crosby
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Hank Martin
62
1948
The Emperor Waltz
Virgil Smith
64
1947
Road to Rio
Scat Sweeney
Variety Girl
Bing Crosby
Welcome Stranger
Dr. James 'Jim' Pearson
My Favorite Brunette
Harry (uncredited)
69
1946
Blue Skies
Johnny Adams
Road to Utopia
Duke Johnson
77
1945
The Bells of St. Mary's
Father O'Malley
75
Hollywood Victory Caravan
Bing Crosby
Duffy's Tavern
Bing Crosby
Out of This World
Herbie Fenton (singing voice) (uncredited)
1944
Here Come the Waves
Johnny Cabot
The Princess and the Pirate
Margaret's Sweetheart (uncredited)
68
Going My Way
Father Chuck O'Malley
77
1943
Dixie
Daniel Decatur Emmett
They Got Me Covered
Music Box (voice)
53
1942
Road to Morocco
Jeff Peters
Holiday Inn
Jim Hardy
78
My Favorite Blonde
Man Outside Union Hall (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
Bing Crosby
1941
Birth of the Blues
Jeff Lambert
Road to Zanzibar
Chuck
1940
Rhythm on the River
Bob Sommers
If I Had My Way
Buzz Blackwell
Road to Singapore
Josh Mallon

1930s

1939
The Star Maker
Larry Earl
East Side of Heaven
Denny Martin
Paris Honeymoon
'Lucky' Lawton
1938
Sing, You Sinners
Joe Beebe
Doctor Rhythm
Dr. Bill Remsen
1937
Double or Nothing
'Lefty' Boylan
Waikiki Wedding
Tony Marvin
59
1936
Pennies from Heaven
Larry Poole
Rhythm on the Range
Jeff Larabee
Anything Goes
Billy Crocker
1935
The Big Broadcast of 1936
Bing
Two for Tonight
Gilbert Gordon
Mississippi
Tom Grayson
1934
Here Is My Heart
J. Paul Jones
She Loves Me Not
Paul Lawton
We're Not Dressing
Stephen Jones
1933
Going Hollywood
Bill 'Billy' Williams
Please
Howard Jones
Too Much Harmony
Eddie Bronson
College Humor
Professor Frederick Danvers
Sing, Bing, Sing
Bing
1932
The Big Broadcast
Bing Hornsby
Billboard Girl
Bing
1931
One More Chance
Bing Bangs
Blue of the Night
Bing Crosby / Jack Smith
I Surrender Dear
Bing Crosby
Confessions of a Co-Ed
Bing
1930
Reaching for the Moon
Bing
56
Two Plus Fours
Bing
King of Jazz
Trio Singer (as The Rhythm Boys)
66

Produced 10

1970s

1978
Mean Dog Blues
Executive Producer
1973
Arnold
Executive Producer
Terror in the Wax Museum
Producer
51
1972
Ben
Executive Producer
57

1960s

1961
Ben Casey
Executive Producer
68

1950s

1957
Man on Fire
Executive Producer
1956
High Tor
Executive Producer
1952
Road to Bali
Executive Producer
66

1940s

1946
Abie's Irish Rose
Executive Producer
1945
The Great John L.
Executive Producer

Sound 6

1990s

1996
Silent Night
Songs
Good King Wenceslas
Songs
1995
White Christmas
Songs

1980s

1985
Tenderness
Music

1960s

1968
White Christmas
Music
1966
Calder
Music

Directed 1

2000s

2004
Bing Crosby: Legends in Concert
Director

Appearances96

2020s

2024
I Can't Give You Anything But Love: The Jimmy McHugh Story
Self (archive footage)
2023
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2022
Grace Kelly – Hollywoods tragische Prinzessin
Self (archive footage)
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Self - C.K Dexter-Haven (archive footage)
79
Rat Pack
Self (archive footage)
2021
Dean Martin: King of Cool
Self (archive footage)

2010s

2019
My Music: A Classic Christmas
Self (archive footage)
2017
This Is Bob Hope...
Self (archive footage)
2014
Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
Self (archive footage)
2012
Michael Bublé: Home For The Holidays
Self (archive footage)
2010
Bing Crosby: The Television Specials Volume 2 – The Christmas Specials
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Johnny Carson
Self (archive footage)

2000s

2007
Tim Conway: Timeless Comedy
Self (archive footage)
2006
Legends
Self (archive footage) · 1 episode
"All -Singing All-Dancing" Before And After
Self - (archive footage)
Grace Kelly: Destiny of a Princess
Self - Actor (archive footage)
2004
'Twas the Night - A Holiday Celebration
Self
Parkinson
Self - Guest / Performer (archive footage) · 1 episode
Bing Crosby: Legends in Concert
Self
2003
Biography: Bob Hope: America's Entertainer
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Ghosts & Gravesites
Self (archive footage)
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.1
Narrator / Ichabod Crane / Brom Bones (voice) (archive footage)
2002
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
Self (archive footage)
2001
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1
Self (archive footage)
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2
Self (archive footage)
2000
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
Self (archive footage)

1990s

1998
A Bing Crosby Christmas
Self - Host (archive footage)
1995
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self (archive footage)
1994
Songs That Won the War
Himself (Archive)
1992
A Classic Christmas from The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1991
The Magic of Bing Crosby
Self (archive footage)
1990
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
Self (archive footage)

1980s

1988
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1987
Grace Kelly: The American Princess
Self (archive footage)
1986
Classic Comedy Teams
Self (archive footage)
1985
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Self (archive footage)
1982
Showbiz Goes to War
Self (archive footage)
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Self (archive footage)
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Self (archive footage)